I have never worked in or started a brewery but I have worked through the births of 3 computer companies and nothing in this article was too surprising. Starting businesses is hard work and you need to really love what you are doing to make it through the first 2 or 3 years.

The first year your excitement and all the "new" will keep you going. Years 2 and 3 will often wear on you as you really learn that sales are the key and you likely don't have enough of them yet. If you make it past 3 years and are making money you will have joined an elite club and should be very proud.

Like the author said, this isn't meant to discourage anyone, but may help folks go in with their eyes open. I had a blast setting up and running those companies but I left them because they didn't belong to me and the owners lost their passion so the businesses were destines to fail (when the work of 5 people is having to done by 3 the days get very long). My best advice is follow your dream but be prepared to be tired.

There are days that I'm too busy and have to push back homebrewing! As cool as the idea has always seemed whilst drinking a homebrew you have to be all in and that takes a different kind of person. Plus with all of the new breweries opening lately its just that much harder to make something distinctive.

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“We’re not here for the game. The game is nothing. The game is crap. The game makes me sick. The real reason we Americans put up with sports is for this: Behold, the tailgate party. The pinnacle of human achievement. Since the dawn of parking lots, man has sought to fill his gut with food and alcohol in anticipation of watching others exercise.” - Homer Simpson

I didn't bother reading the article - I lived it. Going on 4 years this summer and I absolutely love owning a brewery and I love going in and brewing every day. If the brewery failed tomorrow I'd be planning a new one the following day. I really can't think of anything else I'd rather do. This is it. But, as with any business, be prepared to deal with the sacrifices you are going to make to insure the business survives. My hardest sacrifice has been my family. There are times when you will have to put the business first. It's been challenging on my marriage, too. It's a huge financial challenge - there are lots of times when I don't get paid so that my employees do. It's not just breweries - every business owner I have talked to say the same things. Long hours, hard work, family sacrifice.

Proud to say it's getting a lot better. I have some great employees, I have (most) of my weekends back, and we are looking at major grown the next two years. We opened a tasting room last summer and it is really taking off (and it's a ton of fun!) We also just sold 20% of the company to a fifth partner for a lot more money than we invested initially. And this guy is a founder and CEO of a Fortune 500 company and has already started making a big difference in the management of the company.

So, it can be done (though, not saying it should. There's enough damn breweries out there already thank you very much. ) Just be sure you walk in with eyes open, know what you are getting into. Be prepared to buckle down and make it work. And make sure you have a wife or husband who is willing to help keep the family going and bring in the money you will need to live.

I plan to brew full time once I retire. I don't mind cleaning, but I'm not going to bother with regulatory, licensing, payroll, financial, contracts, distribution, or customers. I figure that ignoring that stuff means that I can brew whenever I feel like it and not go belly up as fast as some of the breweries that do.